Tradition or innovation? Cafe Galavis, a brand with an international vision

Research methodology An interview was conducted with the general manager and semi-structured interviews with Likert scale to the main clients, collaborators and suppliers to establish the key competencies of the firm. Secondary information was collected through the organization’s historical and strategic documents. Learning outcomes At the end of the case study, students will be able to learn international marketing, innovation, strategic management, international business strategy; analyze the brand equity construct through the associative neural network model for decision-making; determine the internationalization strategy using the dual pressures model and sources of competitive advantage for international marketing management; and propose the innovation of a product by applying creativity techniques or innovation models to enter international markets. Case overview/synopsis Café Galavis is a family business leader in the production and commercialization of roasted and ground coffee for 103 years in Colombia. The new chief executive officer recovered the financial stability during his management during the period from 2015 to 2019, implementing internationalization processes. However, the sanitary crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Colombia, generated an economic recession, which led to a decrease in coffee consumption. How to innovate in the development of a product or service in times of pandemic? What internationalization strategy implement? These are the challenges that the new management and its collaborators will confront. Complexity academic level The teaching case is aimed at students of postgraduate academic programs in areas Management or MBA. In the modules of Marketing the case allows the orientation of the concepts of brand equity or branding. Likewise, in the modules of International Management, the definition of the internationalization strategy through the analysis of dual pressures and sources of competitive advantage. Finally, in the modules of Innovation different methodologies or techniques for innovation can be applied such as: SCAMPER, Design thinking or the Stage Gate Model. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 5: International Business

Enterprise Innovation, Executive Experience and Internationalization Strategy: Evidence From High-Carbon Industrial Enterprises Versus Low-Carbon Industrial Enterprises in China

Industrial enterprises are the core subjects to reduce carbon emissions. Their innovations for low-carbon production are the key to determine the effect of carbon emission reduction. This paper examines the impact of executive experience, especially the overseas experience, on enterprise innovations across 3559 enterprises in low-carbon, medium-carbon and high-carbon industries respectively. Interestingly, it shows that the executive experience has only played a significant role in enterprise innovations of high-carbon industrial enterprises, indicating that the executive’s international vision might help to promote innovation in high-carbon industry. Then, it’s also discovered that there is a mediating effect of international strategy which helps to better understand the impact mechanism of executive experience on enterprise innovation in high-carbon industry.

Implementing the Innovation Strategy in International SMEs

Thanks to a relationship of mutual interdependence developed between the formulation of the internationalization strategy and innovation, on a larger scale they are entitled as decisive factors in the process of lasting growth of SMEs. The aim is to study the connections between internationalization, innovation and strategy as well as the results in terms of business competitiveness, covering a relatively consistent gap in terms of knowledge and inconclusive or even diffuse interactions regarding these interactions. In terms of internationalization, innovation and strategy, failure rates are quite high and have correspondingly consistent costs for companies. These are related to implementation details. Assuming there is a poor implementation of internationalization, innovation and strategy and to the extent that firms examine in detail each dimension of their business, they will tolerate an increase in costs. Even in these conditions, contrary to their weight, many SMEs do not have structured processes and protocols for internationalization, innovation and strategy. In entrepreneurial micro-enterprises, which is the main object of research, this aspect is particularly important and real. Identifying the tools used by companies to design the processes of development and implementation of internationalization, innovation and strategy, determinants and causes is very important to identify the main factors with particular impact on business performance and how these effects act or occur.

The Role of Digitalization on the Internationalization Strategy of Born-Digital Companies

Digital technologies have led to born-digital companies, defined by their highly digitalized value chains, designed at their inception. Born-digital (BD) companies leverage digitalization across their value chains in the internationalization path. However, despite this emergence, very few empirical studies in international business literature have explained the impact of bricolage in conducting value chain activities and exploiting the internationalization strategy of BD companies. The present study responds to these omissions of how the digitalization of the value chain activities and the internationalization strategy enhance companies by allowing them to reach customers (users) and partners with available resources and less time. The results indicate that the digitalization of value chain activities facilitates the re-use and mixing of the resources at hand to overcome challenges, innovate solutions, or create new opportunities for international growth, in line with the bricolage theory. Overall, this study contributes to international business literature regarding, specifically, the behaviors of born-digital companies as they strategically approach internationalization efforts.

The use and knowledge of export promotion programs in the early internationalization of Brazilian SMEs

PurposeThis paper aimed to evaluate the differences in the use and knowledge of export promotion programs (EPPs) between Brazilian SMEs that internationalized early and SMEs that internationalized in a gradual, traditional fashion. Additionally, it tested hypotheses that distinguish these two types of SME internationalization processes in an emerging market context.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested four hypotheses in a sample of 540 SME Brazilian exporters. The sample was divided into two groups according to the born global (BG) criteria: 379 SMEs with gradual or traditional internationalization (TI) and 161 SMEs with early internationalization (EI).FindingsThe results indicate that Brazilian EI SMEs operate in more countries and continents than TI SMEs. In emerging countries such as Brazil, the domestic market continues to play an important role both for SMEs that internationalize early and those whose process is slower. Even though logistic regression could not classify the sample of TI and EI SMEs according to their knowledge about EPPs, the results led to the idea that EI SMEs currently use more specific EPPs than do TI SMEs.Practical implicationsManagers of successful SMEs from emerging markets need to incorporate EPPs into their internationalization strategy. In emerging markets with large domestic markets, SME managers can meet their growth needs by exploiting opportunities in both domestic and international markets.Originality/valueResearch on the early internationalization of SMEs has long focused on SMEs from developed markets and on internal factors. Moreover, the effects of EPPs on the firm' performance of large and SME firms has also been the subject of study. The value of this paper relies on the intersection of EPPs and the early internationalization of SMEs, even for firms in developed markets.

Study on Internationalization Strategy of China’s New Business Education in the Background of Digital Economy

As the global economy is undergoing transformation and upgrading in the background of the digital economy, it leads to a reformation of business education in the new context, which brings the concept of new business education in China. One of the significant features of the new business education is multidisciplinary teaching and learning. Meanwhile, it is closely related to strategic decision-making in disciplinary program design, research design, faculty recruitment, teaching models, and international strategies. Benefited from the internationalization of higher education in past years, traditional business education has gained an advantage in introducing international students, teachers, and resources and building global cooperation platforms, including international visits and multiple studies in an international context. However, it cannot meet the demand for cultivating talents in the era of the digital economy. This paper starts with the connotation and feature of new business education, discussing internationalization strategy with a fresh perspective and unique positioning. Meanwhile, it aims to provide a theoretical and practical value for China’s business schools with internationalization strategy making in the background of the digital economy.

Internationalization of family firms: the effect of CEO attributes

This paper examines the influence of CEO characteristics on the internationalization of family businesses. The study is based on Upper Echelons Theory, where organizational performance is related to the cognitive foundations and values of the managers of the family business. This work aims to contribute to the construction of a link between research in management teams and theoretical studies on family businesses. Using Probit and Tobit regression analyses on a sample of 1005 Spanish family businesses, this study demonstrates that CEOs with some specific characteristics are more likely to adopt some strategies for the internationalization of a company. For example, the type of studies undertaken by the CEO or the existence of a consensual strategic plan within the family business are positively linked to the adoption of an exportation strategy. Also, previous professional experience outside the family business or being a first-generation family member contributes to going international via establishing strategic alliances, while being a tenured CEO shows a positive effect on an internationalization strategy based on direct investment, but a negative effect on the establishment of strategic alliances. Finally, a family member CEO negatively affects an internationalization strategy based on direct investment. The results also affirm that the internationalization strategy is determined by the size of the business and the sector in which it operates.